Roofing



E. R. EZLACK Feb."25, 1930,

ROOFING Filed Nov. 28, 1.927

Patented Feb. 25, 1930 UNITED STATES,

PATENT OFFICE EDWARD R. BLACK, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS ROOFING i Applicationfiled November 28, 1927. Serial No. 236,035.

of each shingle is attached to the roof inde-:-

pendently of other shingles.

Another object is to provide a roof-covering wherein the exposed portion of each shingle 15 is anchored to the roof without any exposed metal.

Another object is to provide shingle-roofing wherein the tendency of the exposed edges of the shingles to curl away from the roof is reduced.

A further object is to provide shingle-roofing wherein the shingles are secured in place without interlocking them.-

- 1;. .Q Another object is to provide an effective,

inexpensive andeasily applied roof-covering. f ,Other objects and advantages will be more particularly pointed out in the following specification and appended claims.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming a part of this application, in which,

' Figure 1 is a plan view of a shingle such as used in carrying out the invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view of a tongue or cleat employed for vanchoring the lower exposed edge of the shingle upon the roofing surface; an

Y Figure'3 is a plan view of a roof section illustrating several courses of the shingles secured in place.

In general, the roofing or roof-covering comprises a plurality of shingles A, each shingle having-a slit B adjacent the lower edge of'the exposed portion thereof. and independentto'ngues or cleats D which are .secured to the supporting roof structure, exi tend through slits -B ofcorresponding shingles and overlie the shingles below the vslits to anchor to, the roof the lower ends 9 of the exposedportions of the shingles. The

shingles and the tongues or cleats may be cut from prepared flexible weather-proof roofing material of usual and approved types. In the form of roofing herein illustrated I employ a substantially square shingle A having the lowermost corner sheared off at 5, so the exposed periphery of each shingle when' finally secured in place consists of three edges and afiording a hexagon shaped exposure when laid. Slit B is preferably cut in the shape of a U, the base extending parallel to .the edge 5 and sufliciently wide to receive cleat D which is rectangular inshape and. consists of the same material as the shingle A. It is important that the vertical portions of slit B extend upwardly from the horizontal portion to afi'ord an ample opening for a cleat and permit the sameto pass through the shingle without abrupt corners and so that the flap 6 formed'thereby will overlie the cleat'D sufficiently to provide a water shed so as to deflect water in running down the roof from entering the slit.

The type of roofing herein illustrated is laid in horizontal courses. each course consistingof a'plurality of the shingles havingtheir adjacent corners contacting.

In Figure 3 I have illustrated four courses, E, F, G and H, respectively.

In laying the first course of shingles after the starting strip, that is a plain strip of the same material of which the shingles are constructed and ordinarily laid and secured along the eave of the roof, a row of cleats is secured to the roofing by large-headed roofa ing' nails 8. The horizontal spacing of this row of cleats is determined by the horizontal ,7 distance between the slits of adjacent shingles V when the shingles forming the course are laid with their lateral corners touching. The shingles A forming the first course are then laidupon the roof with the'corres onding cleats threaded or extending throng their 7 slits B and with their adjacent corners in 5 contact, and drawn upwardly so as to. closely v engage with and be wedged under the cleats. Then roofin nails 9 similar to the nails 8,

are driven t rough each shingle at a point adjacent to and above the contacting corners.

their cooperating cleats, by inserting the cleats through their slits B, and drawing each shingle toward the ridge of the roof until the lower edge of its slit is tightly wedged below the corresponding cleat. When the second group of shingles are thus positioned they are nailed to the roof by nails9 adjacent their lateral corners. For succeeding courses G H etc. the same procedure is followed until the entire roof is covered.

Thus in all but the first course of shingles each shingle is secured to the roofing structure by five nails, two atthe corners, one through a joint near the upper corner, being that nail used for securing cleat D and one in each side of the latter nail being those nails used to secure the. next succeeding course at the corner. In the roofing 'or roof-covering thus produced the middle lower extremity of the exposed portion of each shingle is firmly anchored to the underlying supporting roof structure (1. e. the roof boards) in such a way that the lateral exposed edges of the shingle tend tightly to hug the roof and any tendency of the edges to curl u wardly or away from the roof is resisted. 'lhus a highly effective water-proof covering is provided. Furthermore, this anchorage is provided without exposure of metal, when the cleats are made as preferred from the shingle materiaL-and the performance of each shingle is independent of the action of the adjacent or underlying or overlying shingles.

While I have herein shown and described roofing consisting of separate shingles, it should be understood that the invention may be carried out with equal success by the use of strips each having a pluralityof depending shingle portions formed thereon.

What I claim is:

1. A roof covering comprising a plurality of shingles composed of flexible weatherproof roofing material, each shingle having slits therethrough near its lower edge to form an opening and a flexible tongue, and a plurality of cleats composed of flexible weathertached to the roof adjacent one end and ing its free end threaded through the openopening therethrough formed by slits that leave a tongue free at one end and integrally attached to the shingle atthe other end, and a plurality of cleats composed of flexible weather-proof material, each cleat being attached to the roof adjacent one end and having its free end threaded through an opening in a shingle thereabove, the said shingle thereabove being wedged and held down by the cleat and its tongue partly covering and assisting to hold down the free end of the cleat.

In-witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 25th day of November, A. D.

EDWARD R. BLACK.

- proof roofing material, each cleat being1 ataving in'the shingle thereabove' and overlying such shin le below its opening, the tongue of such over ying shingle assisting in kee in the cleat flat on the roof. 3 p g ,2.- A roof covering comprisin a plurality of shingles formed from flexi le weather- 'proof roofing material and laid in partly courses, each shingle h'avin'gan 

